The Time of Year to Transplant a Shasta Daisy

Site Selection

• Careful site selection reduces the transplanting stress that shasta daisies experience and helps to ensure the long-term health of flowering perennial plants. Examine your garden or home landscape in the early spring to determine a suitable planting location. Look for a site that receives direct sunlight for at least six hours per day so that your daisies have the energy they need to produce plenty of summer blossoms. Shasta daisies also perform best in loose, well-draining soils that are rich with organic materials.

Soil Preparation

• Prepare the soil at the selected planting location to make it more hospitable; this makes it much easier for your shasta daisies to take root in their new location. Enrich the soil with organic materials in the early spring, as soon as the ground has warmed to the point where it can be easily worked. Layer 3 inches of peat moss, 3 inches of leaf mold, 1 inch of composted pine bark and 1 inch of perlite over the surface of the planting site; use a garden fork or tiller to incorporate the materials into the top 6 to 8 inches of soil.

Transplanting Method

• Shasta daisies may be transplanted from nursery containers or from sites in your garden or home landscape. When transplanting daisies from a garden bed, insert a hand shovel or spade into the soil approximately 4 inches from the base of the plant. Push the handle away from the the plant to loosen the soil; do this on all sides of the shasta daisy. Gently lift the daisies from the garden bed. Brush the excess soil from the root systems of garden or nursery-grown shasta daisies so that you can examine their roots. Use a pair of sharp, sterile garden shears to remove any roots that are brown and mushy.

Planting Shasta Daisies

• Plant shasta daisies in the prepared soil in the early morning or on an overcast day to minimize transplanting stress. Dig planting holes that are twice as wide as the root systems. Set the daisies in the planting holes at the same depth they grew in their previous location. Backfill the holes with the amended soil and tamp down the surface with the palms of your hands. Moisten the soil with up to 1 inch of supplemental irrigation immediately after planting. Spread 3 inches of organic mulch over the surface of the soil to preserve moisture and discourage weed growth.